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BlondieBlondie is a New York rock band, founded
by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist
Chris Stein in the 1970's. The band were
pioneers of the New Wave scene during
the decade, in which social progressive
values that began in the 1960s (examples
include increasing political awareness,
increased public opposition to war and
the Feminist movement) continued to
grow. Although successful in the UK and
Australia, Blondie was regarded as an
underground band in the US until the
release of their album Parallel Lines in
1978. Over the next three years, the band
achieved hit singles and became noted
for its mix of musical styles incorporating
elements of disco, pop, early rap and
reggae, while retaining a basic style as a
New Wave band.
The band takes the girl group style of
the early and mid-'60s and adds a '70s
archness, reconfiguring and
recontextualizing simple pop/rock
forms of the '50s and '60s in new,
ironic, and aggressive ways. Here is
the 1976 song X Offender, about a
prostitute being attracted to the police
officer that had arrested her. (Album:
Blondie, 1976)In February 1978, Blondie released
their second album, Plastic Letters.
British chart success, along with a
successful 1978 UK tour, including a
gig at London's Roundhouse, made
Blondie one of the first American New
Wave bands to achieve mainstream
success in Britain. The album's first
single, Denis, was a cover version of
Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit.
(Album: Plastic Letters, 1978)
September 1978's Parallel Lines became
the group's most successful album,
selling 20 million copies worldwide. A
more traditional punk rock sound, the
first single from the album to gain
success was the almost aggressive
One Way Or Another.The second single Heart Of Glass
reached number 1 in the UK, US,
Australia, Canada, Germany and New
Zealand in 1979, and was certified
platinum in the UK. A reworking of an
earlier song, "Heart Of Glass" was
updated with strong elements of disco
music. Drummer Clem Burke later said
the revamped version was inspired
partly by Kraftwerk and by the Bee Gees'
"Stayin' Alive", whose drum beat Burke
tried to emulate.
“Heart Of Glass” showcased
Harry's hard-edged persona,
and she began to attain a
celebrity status that set her
apart from the other band
members, who were largely
ignored by the media.
Debbie Harry was hailed as
the definitive female rock-
and-role model of the '80s,
and influenced artists such
as Madonna, Gwen Stefani
and Courtney Love.
Blondie released a fourth album
in October the same year, Eat To
The Beat, which was well-
recieved by critics as a follow-up
to Parallel Lines. In 1980, Debbie
Harry's collaboration with the
Italian songwriter and producer
Giorgio Moroder, produced
Call Me, a single not released as
part of any album, but instead
becoming the title theme for the
Richard Gere film American
Gigolo. The track brought the
genre of euro-disco to an
American audience, and spent
six weeks at #1 in the States.
In November 1980, Blondie's fifth studio
album, Autoamerican, was released and
contained two more US #1’s: the
reggae-styled The Tide Is High, a cover
of a song by The Paragons, and Rapture,
one of the earliest songs containing
elements of rap to reach number one in
America. The album was a departure from
previous Blondie records, featuring less
New Wave and rock in favor of stylistic
experiments, including acoustic jazz:
"Faces", and from Broadway show
"Camelot" came "Follow Me".
In 2006 Blondie were induced into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band are
still writing and touring today, but with
some changes to the original lineup.
The Ramones were also a band
formed in New York in 1974, and
are often cited as the first punk
rock band. Despite not achieving
much commercial success, the
band were hugely influential on
the punk movements in both the
US and UK. The band toured
virtually non-stop for 22 years
before disbanding in 1996. Eight
months later all three founding
members- Joey, Johnny and Dee
Dee Ramone- had died. The band
were induced into to Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 2002, and received
a Grammy Lifetime Achievement
Award last year.
The Ramones played before an audience
for the first time on March 30, 1974. The
songs they played were very fast and
very short; most clocked in at under two
minutes. By the following year the
Ramones were recognized as leaders of
the new scene that was increasingly
being referred to as "punk”.
The group's unusual frontman had a lot
to do with their impact. As Dee Dee
explained, "All the other singers [in New
York] were copying David Johansen [of
The New York Dolls], who was copying
Mick Jagger.... But Joey was unique,
totally unique.“The Ramones recorded their debut
album, Ramones, in February 1976. It
was greeted by critics with glowing
reviews.